The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-21


The st. Louis Globe Democrat has long
been considered one of the ablest Republican
journals in the West. 1t may be taken to
voice as far as any one journal may the
sentiment of its party The following ex-
tract from one of its recent edi orials, in
reply to 4 Southern editors assertion that
the whites must rule in the South is in
teresting and important:
1t is scarcely necessary to tell reading
people, whether III the South or the North,
that the Republican party does not now de-
sire, ard never has desired, black mans
government for any State. Theoretically
the United States, as q whole and in its
parts, is neither a white mans nor black
! mans government, but Il government OF
the people, by the people, and for the
people" Actually, however, it is white
| mans government. 1t always has been and
| always will be. In the nation, as whole,
the white man is largely in the majority,
| and, for reasons which will suggest them
| selves to every thinking, reasonable per-
son, must forever remain so. At the
time the last national census was taken the
negroes in several Of the southern States
nearly equaled the whites, and in Mississippi
| and South Carolina exceeded them. That
was seven years ago. Three years hence,
when the next national enumeration is made,
will be in the preponderance i'll numbers IN
| the two States named, and be far in the lead
in every other State in the South. But even
in the States in which the negroes were
more numerous than the whites there has
not, for the past dozen or more years, been
the slightest real reason to fear that black
| mans government could be established. VI
course the pretense that such thing would
he possible now, even if every negro should
vote and have his ballot honestly counted, is
ludicrous. In the North, broadly speaking,
wealth ard Intelligence are on the side OF
the Republicans In the South the reverse
I is the fact. Wealth and intelligence, when
welded wisely, will always prevail over
mere brute force. The negro, in most of
the purely intellectual attributes, is the
white mans inferior, and he will undoubt-
| ediy remain so for centuries, il not forever.
For this reason, even if he should be as
numerous as the white, his influence in the
State must always be comparatively insig'
nitcant, if the white displays moderate
amount of political astuteness and tact.
1t is gratifying that so important Re-
publican journal as the Globe Democrat
should admit that this is and always will be
a white mans government by right of supe
rior intelligence, as well as for the reason
that he has greater stake in it. But it is
a slight mistake to say it has always been
! government of that kind, at least so far as
the South is concerned. The people here
remember period which, though short, had
so many disagreeable incidents that when
they look back upon their political history
they see but few things in the quiet, unevent-
full years which intervene There was not
then a white mans government. 1t took
almost a revolution to bring that period to
a close in some of the States, and they will
be careful that another like it does not begin
soon.
When the Globe Democrat says that
wealth and intelligence will always prevail
over mere brute force, it utters an automatic
| truth, which has been better illustrated no.
where than in the South. The white people
have seen plainly that they must stand to-
| gether, and the solid South is the outcome
OF their intelligent action If the Globe
Democrat means, however, that the
whites could fall apart in politics and
still control the colored voters. and
through them the government, it is very
much mistaken. The colored voter is sus-
| ceptible to influence of a certain kind in local
contests between white men, and generally
votes without reference to the action of his
fellows; but when party lines are drawn it is
no use denying that the colored vote is practi
cally solid for the Republican candidate.
| The colored voter is not open to argument
on this question. He is certain to vote with
the Republican party. He may not vote at
all-and vast numbers of them do not, for
various reasons-but he would be looked
upon as traitor by his race if he should
vote the Democratic ticket. This is, per-
haps, very unfortunate and mistaken po-
siton for him to occupy, as he is in tue mi
nority, and it deprives him OF all political
influence, but at least the Republicans can
not criticise his almost pathetic faithful
ness, however much it may weaken them.
In homogeneous community wealth and
intelligence will control in the way meant
by the Globe Democrat by their moral in
fiuence Every man stands upon the same
social footing, and is open to their influence
In community made up of two different
races, standing on different planes, their in
fiuence cannot readily extend from one race
10 the other. Other influences counteract
it. For this reason the white people have
had to depend upon themselves. OF the
danger of division they have had an exam
pie in Virginia. There, on a local question,
enough whites Joined the negroes to give
control OF the State TO the Republicans, or
Readiusters, as they at first called them
selves The fact that they were Republi-
cans did not necessarily make their govern
ment bad one, but its acts soon showed
that it fairly represented only the average
OF intelligence and morals of its party-not
| n = ne
necessarily true of every party. 1t will not
long tolerate leaders either better or worse
than itself
The Commissioner of Pensions saws that
on May is of this year he mailed requests
through the Department of State to our